The National Weight Control Registry — the largest study of successful long-term weight loss — was established in 1994 by Rena Wing, Ph.D., from Brown Medical School, and James Hill, Ph.D., from the University of Colorado. Few individuals succeed at long-term weight loss, and this study was started to identify characteristics of individuals who have succeeded. The National Weight Control Registry is tracking over 10,000 individuals who have lost significant amounts of weight and kept it off.

National Weight Control Registry facts*

80 percent of those in the registry are women and 20 percent are men.

The average woman registered is 45 years of age and currently weighs 145 pounds.

The average man is 49 years of age and currently weighs 190 pounds.

Some have lost weight rapidly, while others have lost weight very slowly.

45 percent of registrants lost weight on their own; 55 percent had the help of a special program.

98 percent of participants report they modified their diet to lose weight.

94 percent of participants increased their physical activity, with the most common exercise being walking.

Keeping the weight off
There are a variety of ways registrants have kept the weight off. These include:

Continuing to consume fewer calories.

Eating a low-fat diet.

Including high levels of activity in their life.

78 percent eat breakfast.

75 percent weigh themselves at least once a week.

62 percent watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.

90 percent exercise, on average, about 1 hour a day.

What does this information tell us? How does this information relate to you personally?

Myself, I don't necessarily need a special program to lose weight, and I need to increase my activity and get it up to an average of 1 hour a day, every day.

How and when to start? I signed up for a small group-exercise class at the fitness center starting this month.

With the end of summer and the start of a new school season, it's a good time to formulate a plan and start a new lifestyle or behavioral change goal. I have mine, what's yours going to be?

Have a good week.

Regards,

Nancy

*Note: The National Weight Control Registry is not a weight-loss treatment program and doesn't respond to requests for general information on weight loss and maintenance.

Gloria
I've just look up Dr B and he regularly holds live webcast sessions where you can ask him a question. Go to this website and sign up for the next one:
http://www.askdrbernstein.net/
Good luck!

Jane

February 25, 2015 8:03 a.m.

Gloria you need to get advice from Dr Richard K Bernstein, author of The Diabetes Solution. I don't just mean read his book, I mean find him and contact him. He has been to hell and back with Diabetes and I am sure he will be able to help you.

Jane

January 17, 2015 8:14 p.m.

Hi! My name is Gloria Rohrback and am trying to find a doctor that will help my boyfriend get by to himself. Lance had dibetes and he is 49 years old. He had surgery in Sep9,2014 for a appendix and he is not getting better. Lance weighted about 260lbs before surgery now he weights 141lbs. Lance is just bone. He can not get off the couch with help. He falls a lot. We have been go to doctor to doctor and they will not help him at all. I just wont him back to normal. We have two kids and he don't even get to play with them or get to hold are little guy. Lance cant even drive. So can someone please help us. Gloria Rohrback.

Gloria Rohrback

June 17, 2014 12:52 p.m.

I'm a 73 yr. old male & have been getting the email news letters for about 2 wks.now and have learned a lot about my diabetes...I just wanted
to say to Peggy & Nancy...thanks,for your time &
effort,think the letters are great...ted

ted laurange

June 14, 2014 1:24 p.m.

I have pcos, which is due to insulin resistance. I have been taking plexus slim and it has helped with my insulin resistance and I have finally been able to lose weight. I have lost over 23lbs in a month. It is diabetic friendly and all natural. If you are interested, check out my site Www.plexusslim.com/christalangham

Christa

May 20, 2014 3:21 a.m.

Good information. have More stuff about <a href="http://weightloss-korner.blogspot.com/2013/09/best-weight-loss-program-effective-tips.html"> Effective Weight loss program tips </a> to share.

Rose

October 29, 2013 11:27 a.m.

I have difficulty getting a good nights sleep. Result is less exercise, tired all the time..higher blood sugar levels. I do night like to take the sleep meds...they tend to be habit forming. only hitting of 4 cylinders today.

Marianne

October 11, 2013 11:15 a.m.

Gail: You have some good suggestions from fellow bloggers. Marie especially has great suggestions. Everyone has to find what works for them.

Nancy and Peggy

October 8, 2013 11:47 a.m.

I found that eating what I want instead of what the wise ones say I should eat did the trick for me. Switching from one's usual diet to a totally new diet can be a disaster.
I did immediately cut out all desserts. No more cake, pie, ice cream or candy. I dropped ten pounds the first month. After that I simply ate what I wanted and am losing at a steady rate.
At first, I would have half a cookie but haven't had one now for four months. I'm satisfied because I know I can. No one tells me 'Thou shalt not&quot;. I am even guilty of sticking a fork straight down (keep it straight) into a jar of Nutella and cleaning off the fork. Such a small amount but it satisfies me and I move on.
I am thinking that satisfying one's personal cravings actually helps a person cut back on amounts. I am not denying myself. I am just saying &quot;not quite so much&quot;. I am in control of &quot;me&quot;.
Since April, I have gone from 148 to 125. Allowing that 10 pounds the first month, the rest has been about two pounds a month. Not bad? And, yes, I am eating my veggies - except broccoli. :-)

Marie

October 8, 2013 11:22 a.m.

So what I need is tell me what to eat at breakfast/lunch/dinner/ an what kind of drinks like coffee or sodas list a menu or web page with a list.

Joe

October 8, 2013 11:22 a.m.

I would love to walk but I can't. It's really frustrating when the advice is to walk more or longer. It's difficult to find exercises to do when I'm handicapped but no one ever addresses that. I have balance and falling problems when I do stand. I have 4 incurable diseases with one terminal so really difficult to do much. Just facts not complaints.

Ferne

October 7, 2013 3:31 p.m.

Hi Gail,
Sometimes I need more than a health reason to lose weight. That should be enough, but for me rarely is. So, for example, I might try to lose for a wedding I'll be attending in the future, or plan for a vacation that I want to lose for or get in shape for (to be able to walk around more easily and not worry so much about everything I put in my mouth!). It also helps if I have a secondary goal. For example, if my primary goal is to restrict my calories to a certain amount, I also have a goal of eating at least 6 fruits/veggies a day.I feel good about eating all that colorful, healthy food and as a side benefit, it's lower in calories and helps me meet my calorie goal. I don't know if that's helpful, but hopefully at least some part is.

Sabba

October 6, 2013 1:42 p.m.

I know how to lose weight but have no willpower to do what I need to do. The more I worry about my weight the more I eat. Any suggestions

Gail

September 29, 2013 8:38 p.m.

Very interesting article but one feels the topic of motivating an obese person to lose weight isnt covered by most sites. I personally feel that an obese person can win the battle of the bulge if they are motivated enough.
There are so many programs on diet/weight loss that it can get overwhelming the kep is motivation atleast it was for me.

Melanie

September 28, 2013 1:12 p.m.

I'm sorry I'm not commenting on eating healthy. I knoew nothing about Blogging. I just wanted to say when my mothers blood sugar gets really high ER time high she gets really mean and aggressive. is this a combination of diabetes and dementia?

Linda

September 28, 2013 6:40 a.m.

Eating healthy balanced meals and being more active has always been the key to weight control.

Legal Conditions and Terms

Reprint Permissions

A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.org," "Mayo Clinic Healthy Living," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.